Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Opinion - Guest Columnists

Opinion: Tennessee has never waited for history to happen

opinion@dailymemphian.com (Erin Hafkenschiel) — Thu, 3 Sep 2026 04:00:07 -0500

“Tennessee’s biggest challenges are deeply connected. Housing affects access to education. Transportation determines access to jobs. Childcare influences workforce participation. Energy shapes our economic competitiveness.”

Opinion: MLGW on why Memphis’ water future is secure

opinion@dailymemphian.com (Doug McGowen) — Tue, 1 Sep 2026 17:14:52 -0500

“Thanks to natural recharge zones and our local reduction in demand, our water system is sustainably replenishing itself. But we cannot afford to become complacent.”

Opinion: Transparency shouldn’t stop at the DA’s door

john.covington@memphispoliceassociation.org (John Covington) — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 04:00:14 -0500

“If a serious charge generated through the Memphis Safe Task Force is not prosecuted, citizens have a legitimate interest in knowing what happened. That is not an attack on prosecutors. It is accountability.”

Opinion: Making bail more expensive and unattainable violates human rights

editor@dailymemphian.com (Luke Tankersley) — Tue, 1 Sep 2026 13:24:41 -0500

“Advocating against the Anti-Bail Fund Legislation is not to stand for the release of convicted felons, but rather to stand and say that the legislation is flawed at its core.”

Maxey: 'Your algorithms need to get off my lawn and leave the old man in peace'

rmaxey@dailymemphian.com (Ron Maxey) — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 04:00:13 -0500

“There’s a more serious dialogue to be had over the inter-generational bickering so prevalent these days. Largely fueled by social media, generations seem to be increasingly antagonistic toward one another over society’s ills and who’s to blame.”

Opinion: MSCS retains status quo while Houston schools defy the odds

rep.mark.white@capitol.tn.gov (Mark White) — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 04:00:13 -0500

“It’s time for Shelby County government, including the new mayor-elect and county commissioners-elect, to exit their lawsuit against the MSCS oversight board and get to work rebuilding opportunity for Memphis students.”

Opinion: The disparity in public grace extended to different Collierville officials is stark

editor@dailymemphian.com (Jennifer Preston) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:07:56 -0500

“Communities thrive on open, civic dialogue, but our leaders also deserve fairness, basic decency, and residents who debate policy instead of tearing down character.”

Opinion: Other cities have limited data center development. Memphis can, too.

editor@dailymemphian.com (Richard Massey) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 15:59:01 -0500

“Memphians have been given a false choice: either accept AI data center development without safeguards or be left behind. Memphis must treat clean air, clean water and affordable energy as non-negotiable, as other cities and regions have.”

Opinion: We can have data centers while also protecting Memphis and Memphians

kelly.lomax@dunavant.com (Kelly Lomax) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 04:00:02 -0500

“Some of my neighbors feel unheard, and that is a gap we have to close. But a blanket moratorium fixes none of the problems. It stops new construction jobs and increases in the tax base while leaving the plants already running exactly where they are.”

Opinion: Tackling domestic violence, the hidden part of violent crime

wgibbons@memphis.edu (Bill Gibbons) — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 10:15:14 -0500

“Addressing the domestic violence part of our violent crime challenge must involve providing more support for domestic violence victims, more accountability for the perpetrators and efforts to change behavior.”

Echols: 'What would you say is the peak of your life so far?'

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 04:00:10 -0500

“Is the very nature of a peak that there is only one? Does the length of a life have any correlation with the number of peaks it will have?”

Opinion: Mayor Young — Data center investment requires new rules for growth

editor@dailymemphian.com (Paul Young) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 21:01:14 -0500

“The communities that succeed in this next economy will be the ones capable of supporting major investment while maintaining the trust of the people who call them home.”

Pilgrim: There’s something magical about the fall

npilgrim@dailymemphian.com (Natalie Pilgrim) — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 04:00:01 -0500

“When Ron Maxey declared summer ‘the best season for a reason,’ I couldn’t resist making the case for autumn.”

Echols: Seeing more stars than our eyes could take in

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 04:00:04 -0500

“Awe is evident when your mind has been blown and you are forced to re-think what you knew before.”

Opinion: I wish the rest of America understood what I know about Memphis

morriss@churchhealth.org (G. Scott Morris) — Fri, 7 Aug 2026 14:23:39 -0500

“It takes living here to know the people. That’s what so many who dismiss Memphis never experience. They see headlines but never hospitality. They hear about violence but never generosity. They know the statistics but not our stories.”

Echols: Punctuation is a short-term superpower

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 2 Aug 2026 15:47:28 -0500

“I typically write about God in this space, and you may think there’s no way on earth to weave God into a conversation about punctuation – but on that matter, Dear Reader, you would be wrong.”

Opinion: The lesson from the World Cup is that Memphis needs to promote more local musicians

editor@dailymemphian.com (Andrew Tawfik) — Sun, 2 Aug 2026 04:00:14 -0500

“Memphis could be at the epicenter of the next music revival, much like Nashville and country music has enjoyed over the last 15 years. Yet so many of the discussions here today focus on promoting the music infrastructure, with very little about musicians themselves.”

Opinion: Adults can debate — but children can’t wait

editor@dailymemphian.com (Allison N. Oliver) — Sat, 1 Aug 2026 04:00:01 -0500

“Here is my challenge to Memphis as a new school year begins: Move Memphis, mane! Move beyond the debates long enough to remember the reason we have them in the first place: our children.”

Opinion: John Fry’s legacy deserves more than the final headlines

editor@dailymemphian.com (Elizabeth Montgomery Brown) — Sat, 1 Aug 2026 04:00:01 -0500

“As Memphis discusses the future of Ardent Studios, I hope we will spend just as much time remembering why Ardent mattered and honoring John Fry, the man who devoted his life to making sure the music, the people and the history of this city would never be forgotten.”

Echols: At the beach, why do we let Phil Collins drown out the sound of the waves?

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 12:27:08 -0500

“In a time of pervasive anxiety and loneliness, we pay a hearty chunk of change for a music box named after a Turtle in order to drown out the God-given sounds that Creation offers to soothe us.”